Pochettino working on improving the defence


TRANSFER TALK


Jan Vertonghen says Mauricio Pochettino remains intent on perfecting the Spurs defensive line as Tottenham prepare for our first pre-season friendly.

Tonight we face Paris St Germain at the Camping World Stadium in Orlando where we held an open training session. During interviews with the press Jan Vetonghen explained that Mauricio Pochettino is continually perfecting the positioning of his players to improve the defensive performance and the team performance as a whole.

“When he came, that’s the first thing he said – he wants us to press a lot higher, to help the strikers, help the midfielders and help ourselves in the end. In the beginning, we struggled a bit because you think ‘there’s not so much pace at the back and what if they put in a ball behind?’

That is understandable and means you aren't implementing the tactics to their optimum which leaves areas for improvement with the same players you have. Assuming you have to buy to improve is erroneous, it can help yes, of course it can, but it is not the be all and end all that the average fan and quite frankly journalists think.

“It’s not just me and Toby but the whole back four. He works a lot with us. He’s a centre-back [himself]. I had Frank de Boer also in Holland , who was a centre-back, and it helps you a lot. 
“First of all you believe him that it’s the right way to play, and he knows how to create exercises to play in that way. 
“He works a lot with videos as well. We work a lot – 80 per cent of the time – on that high line because it’s so important to our game. We started again this pre-season. 
“It can always be better, sometimes it just doesn’t connect. It’s so important to the way we play.”

Jan Vertonghen had arguably his best season in a Spurs shirt last season and was a rock when Toby Alderweireld was out injured. His form kept Kevim Wimmer, who Pochettino is said to rate, out of the team.

That has frustrated Wimmer, who is well versed in our system and has resulted in him looking for a move away. We have tried to frustrate that by slapping a big price on him for the games he has played. Will there be more rotation this season?

Is Wimmer going to be trusted enough to play more Premier League games while Vertonghen plays in the UEFA Champions League? The draw in August might dictate that, but the Premier League fixtures after UEFA Champions League games look encouraging.


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